Troops face discipline for refusing vaccine
WASHINGTON — All of the U.S. military services have now begun disciplinary actions and discharges for troops who have refused to get the mandated coronavirus vaccine, officials said Thursday, with as many as 20,000 unvaccinated forces at risk of being removed from service.
On Thursday, the Marine Corps said it has discharged 103 Marines so far for refusing the vaccine, and the Army said it has reprimanded more than 2,700 soldiers and will begin discharge proceedings in January. The Air Force said earlier this week that 27 airmen had been discharged for refusing the vaccine order. And the Navy laid out its new discipline procedure this week, and has already fired one sailor from his command job for refusing to be tested while he pursues an exemption.
Military leaders have warned for months that troops would face consequences if they did not follow what is considered to be a lawful order to get the COVID-19 vaccine. But only in the last week or so have they publicly begun following through on those threats.
It’s not clear how many could end up being discharged. But according to the services, at least 30,000 service members are not yet vaccinated, but several thousand of those have gotten temporary or permanent medical or administrative exemptions approved. Of the remaining — which is likely 20,000 or more — thousands are working their way through the exemptions process or have flatly refused. That’s about 1.5 percent of the roughly 1.3 million active duty troops.
The figures reflect a calculated risk — that the number of troops who would be forced from service for refusing the vaccine posed less of a threat to military readiness than the prospect of the virus running rampant among unvaccinated troops.
More than 12,000 have sought religious exemptions. And about 4,800 Army soldiers and Air Force airmen have flatly refused the vaccine, without seeking an exemption. The Navy and Marine Corps have not released their refusal totals.
Pentagon chief spokesman John Kirby said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s main concern is getting as many service members vaccinated as possible.
“What he would tell these individuals if he had the chance to speak to them directly is to get the vaccine, if they are medically eligible,” said Kirby. “Get the vaccine because it’s the best way to protect themselves and their units. That’s the readiness concern — getting the vaccination rate as close to 100 percent as possible.”
His comments came as the Army became the last military service to reach the deadline for requiring active duty troops to get vaccines. On Thursday, the Army said 98 percent of its active duty force had gotten at least one shot, but that more than 3,800 soldiers flatly refused and could start being removed from the military next month.
The Marine Corps said 95 percent of its force has gotten at least one dose as of Thursday. About 97.5 percent of the Air Force and Space Force have gotten at least one shot, and a bit more than 1,000 have flatly refused. And 98.4 percent of the Navy is fully vaccinated. The Navy does not release totals of those with one dose.
Asked about the impact on military readiness if service members continue to refuse the shots and are discharged from the service, Kirby said troops still have time to do the right thing.
“We obviously hope that they will,” he said. “But if they don’t, it is a lawful order and it has to be obeyed because it is a valid medical requirement.”
While each service has developed its own process, all are following existing rules for when a service member disobeys a lawful order. Getting thrown out of the military for refusing a vaccine has been done very rarely.
But service members are routinely discharged for disobeying orders — often getting an honorable discharge or general discharge with honorable conditions.